Shanghai Pudong New Area residents can look forward to cleaner tap water this December, when the Qingcaosha Reservoir project opens on a trial basis.

Initially, 300,000 tons of water a day will be provided to Pudong households, said the builder, Shanghai Chentou Co.

The Yangtze River will be the source of the reservoir's water. Qingcaosha is next to Changxing Island near the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Pipelines will transport the water to downtown water plants for filtering.

After testing is completed at the end of this year, water capacity will increase to 2.3 million tons a day, Shanghai Chentou said.

When the 17-billion-yuan (US$2.49 billion) reservoir and pipeline project is fully functional, likely in the first half of next year, the total water supply will reach 7.19 million tons.

It will provide better quality tap water to about 10 million people, government officials said.

The city has a shortage of quality water supplies.

Tap water in Shanghai now only meets the country's third highest quality standard.

The project is expected to supply water at the second highest quality level after filtering.

The Qingcaosha Reservoir will be 70 square kilometers or 10 times the size of West Lake in Hangzhou.

At present, 80 percent of Shanghai's tap water comes from the Huangpu River.

Upon completion of the reservoir, up to 50 percent of the city's tap water will be from the Yangtze, authorities said.